Pre-Filled Syringe Unit Sales will Reach 3.5Bn in 2014

A new report predicts that unit sales of pre-filled syringes will reach 3.5 billion in 2014. Growth is forecast for the global pre-filled syringe market throughout the period 2014-2024. That prediction and others appear in Pre-Filled Syringes: World Industry and Market Prospects 2014-2024.

The study finds that glass pre-filled syringes accounted for the largest proportion of unit sales and revenues in 2012. Revenues in that market sector will grow with a CAGR of 6% between 2012 and 2018. Demand for these devices will stem from generic drug manufacturers and vaccine developers, driven by immunisation programmes worldwide. Low-cost delivery devices will meet the needs of healthcare payers and pharmaceutical companies with drugs for large-scale use. Faster growth is forecast for the plastic pre-filled syringe submarket, with more drug developers looking for suitable delivery devices for biological drug products.

Richard Lang, pharmaceutical market analyst, said: “Pre-filled syringes offer many advantages over other injectable delivery devices, including reduced drug manufacturing costs, greater patient convenience and improved safety. Greater use of self-administration in this decade will increase revenues for pen injector and autoinjector manufacturers. Technological advances in this sector offering patients improved convenience - less painful injections, electronic dose memory and simplified handling and administration for patients with dexterity problems - will further increase uptake of these devices.”

“Regulatory demands for devices that minimise the risk of needlestick injuries will increase revenues for pre-filled safety syringes in this decade. New EU-wide rules, which came into effect in May 2013, will ensure that healthcare institutions in that region demand advanced safety syringes and other sharp devices. In the last decade, needlestick prevention requirements in major markets were most commonly met with ancillary safety devices attached to the pre-filled syringe after manufacture. In this decade, there will be greater demand for pre-filled devices with integrated passive safety systems, we believe.”

The new report forecasts the world pre-filled syringe market to 2024, in terms of revenue and unit sales, as well as providing forecasts for three market sectors:


The report also discusses regulatory developments and demand for pre-filled syringes in leading and emerging national markets. The work analyses the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain, China, India, Russia and Brazil. Developed markets account for the greatest demand for pre-filled syringes, with the US and Japan nations accounting for half of product revenues in 2012. These markets will remain as the largest throughout this decade, in terms of pre-filled syringe demand. However, revenues will rise fastest in emerging markets, where larger patient populations, better access to healthcare and wider use of biological therapies for chronic disease treatment will continue to drive demand.

Leading therapeutic sectors in terms of pre-filled syringe unit sales and revenues include chronic diseases, vaccines and low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). The new report analyses the current and future use of pre-filled syringes in five leading therapeutic sectors - insulin delivery, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, growth hormones, LMWH and vaccines - as well as focusing on 11 leading therapies delivered in pre-filled injection devices. The report also profiles market-leading pre-filled device manufacturers, including BD, Gerresheimer, SHL Group and Ypsomed.

The study provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of the pre-filled syringe market for the period 2014-2024. It contains research interviews too, conducted with other experts in the pre-filled injection device industry.